While the Steelers would like to see Rudolph back on the team, free agency is a two-way street that requires both parties to be interested in one another.
Cody Bellinger was nowhere to be seen, though his presence was hard to miss. The free agent slugger cast a shadow over Chicago's annual fan convention as he mulls his options in free agency following a resurgent season with the Cubs. “He's a tremendous baseball player, and he's going through the process, which is what he's played this long and this hard to be able to do," Gold Glove left fielder Ian Happ said.
Shōta Imanaga's $53 million, four-year contract with the Chicago Cubs includes a club option that could extend the deal to $80 million over five seasons. Under the deal, the Cubs can exercise a 2028 option after 2025 or '26. If the team declines the option in either instance, Imanaga would have the right to opt out of the remainder of the contract to become a free agent.